1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pen-based computing systems, and more particularly to electronically annotating documents using a smart pen.
2. Background of the Invention
Devices exist for electronically capturing notes taken with a pen-type input device, but these systems are have limited usefulness in several common scenarios. In classroom and business settings, for example, notes are often not taken on plain paper. Often, an audience is instead provided with a handout or other printed material that is relevant to the content of a presentation. Quite naturally, the audience members will using the preexisting content from these materials as a base for their own note taking, typically taking notes directly on these materials. Pen-based input systems that merely capture writing will result in notes that are disassociated from their context—namely, the preexisting content on these materials. As notes will often rely on the information from these materials, the result may be an electronic copy of notes that have little or no value. Therefore, there is a need for a pen-based computing system for electronically capturing annotations of printed documents with preexisting content.